The Italian Navy says it has rescued about 1,250 migrants from the Mediterranean Sea over the past few days.

The Navy said Friday that the migrants were rescued in several different operations this week, most of them off the coast of Sicily.

Media reports say at least one migrant was found dead.

Italian officials say the condition of the migrants was generally good and that a Nigerian woman gave birth on board one of the rescue vessels.

Italy has been struggling to cope with a large increase of African and Middle Eastern migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. Officials say more than 165,000 people have made the crossing this year, compared to 60,000 last year.

The U.N. refugee agency says another 3,400 would-be migrants have died attempting the journey.